The following words of the prophet Zephaniah came to me the other morning as I watched a clip of music fans singing the songs of their favorite artists. First the words of the prophet and then the clip.
14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
he has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall never again fear evil.
16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
let not your hands grow weak.
17 The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah 3:14-17 ESV
Now the clip.
Now, you may be wondering what these two things have in common. It took me a little while to get it as well. So, let me share with you what came to mind.
In this world, we all desire to be acknowledged by those we deem our mentors or admire. The reality is that not everyone get the opportunity shown in this clip. Not everyone get a chance to stand before they one they esteem and show them what they are made of. This is not normal.
However, and this is what I want to illustrate, if we are truly children of God. If we have truly entered into that blessed relationship with God, when we gather for worship we are able to sing before God. We are able to offer to him something he genuinely wants to see and hear.
What makes this interaction even more beautiful is that God joins in the chorus with us. God not only is the reason for our worship, but he rejoices in and with our worship by adding his own glory to the moment.
This may be why some never really enjoy the worship time in their fellowships, they are waiting to be entertained, rather than entering into that time with longing to sing with God the wonderful things he has done.
We have to learn and grow to enjoy the admiration of God more than these fans enjoyed the recognition of their idols.
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